Condiment gets its due

By Maura Judkis

The Washington Post

The sauce might be red, or green. It might have mint, or jalapeño, or fenugreek, or parsley. It might be called zhug, or zhough, or s’hug, or sahawiq, or daqqus. But it’s all the same thing: a spicy Middle Eastern condiment that, at long last, is getting its due in the United States.

Zhug, the Hebrew word for the sauce, and sahawiq, one of the Arabic words for it, originated in Yemen, but it has long been popular throughout the region.

The best thing about it? “It’s a nice condiment to have with everything,” whether it’s meat or bread or vegetables, said Amar Alshehari, who cooks with his father, Abdul, the chef and owner of Arlington, Virginia’s House of Mandi. “Whatever you’re eating as a main entree.”